Stuck on what to do, not sure I trust dr’s opinion
30 F, history of heart attack on dad’s side of the family (his father and brother both in late 50s / early 60s). My dad is 71 and on cholesterol medication, no heart attacks.
Numbers from last year to this year:
Total cholesterol:
210 → 224
HDL (good cholesterol):
73 → 72
Triglycerides:
140 → 103
LDL (bad cholesterol):
112 → 131
Non-HDL:
137 → 152
I don’t think my diet is worse than a majority of people’s. No alcohol, recreational drug use, no smoking, no soda, no caffeine. Used to frequently eat sweets / dessert but cut that out years ago when my cholesterol was first reported to be high. It jumped up from 2022 to 2023 despite no lifestyle changes and the numbers have never gone back down. My weight and numbers have continued to go up. BMI is currently 24.74.
Doctor today suggested a list of supplements that I’ve then googled and have found no information on: MegaRed, CoQ10, and Red Yeast Rice. She said diet would not be enough to get me in a safe range with combined genetic history.
She is having me go back in 6 months for one final repeat panel before putting me on a statin. I’m really worried. I don’t want to be on a medication for the rest of my life at 30.. my dad even told me he didn’t start his cholesterol medication this young, and my doctor said this was unusual for a female at my age. I’m a very anxious person / hypochondriac so I want to get this taken care of, but I make minimum wage (retail) so I’m definitely stressed out.
I’m on my feet all day at my job for 7 - 8 hour shifts but no other exercise at this time.
Diet:
Breakfast — Cinnamon Cheerios with Oats & Activia Fiber Yogurt
Lunch - PB&J on white with red apple slices and grapes (was cheese it’s and pudding but I am removing those from my daily diet)
Dinner — probably where a majority of the issues lie — hot dogs, pizza, steak, fried cod, Chinese food. I am trying to have chicken more often and grilled cod to combat this.
Drinks — orange juice in the morning and apple juice with dinner, water throughout the day
I’m just at a loss and am looking for more advice. I don’t like how there was no information online on those supplements my doctor mentioned and making minimum wage I can only afford to do so much. I really don’t want to be on a medication for the rest of my life.
Any insight is appreciated. Thank you!